Amazon Credit Cards Have No Published Minimum Score
Amazon does not publish a minimum credit score for either of its two credit cards: the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card and the Amazon Rewards Visa Card. This means you cannot look up a number and know for certain whether you will be approved. Instead, Amazon's approval decision depends on your full credit profile — your score is one piece, but not the only one.
In practice, most people approved for Amazon cards have scores of 670 or higher, though some with scores in the 600s have been approved. The actual threshold varies based on your income, employment history, existing debt, recent credit inquiries, and payment history. A person with a 650 score and no missed payments may be approved, while someone with a 700 score and recent late payments may be denied.
The only way to know whether you will be approved is to submit an application. Amazon will perform a hard inquiry on your credit report, which temporarily lowers your score by a few points. If you are denied, you can reapply after addressing the most obvious issues — paying down balances, correcting errors on your report, or waiting for recent negative marks to age.
Key Takeaways
- Amazon does not disclose a minimum credit score for either of its cards, so approval depends on your full credit profile, not a single number.
- Most approved applicants have scores of 670 or higher, but approval is possible with lower scores if your payment history and income are strong.
- Submitting an application triggers a hard inquiry that lowers your score by a few points, so avoid applying multiple times in a short period.
- If you are denied, wait at least three to six months before reapplying, and use that time to pay down balances or dispute errors on your credit report.
How Amazon Evaluates Your Application Beyond Your Score
When you apply for an Amazon card, Visa and Amazon's underwriting team review several factors at once. Your credit score is a summary of your payment history, but the underwriters also look at the raw data underneath: whether you have missed payments in the last two years, how much of your available credit you are currently using, and how long your credit accounts have been open.
Your income and employment status matter significantly. If you report a stable income and have been at your current job for more than a year, you are a lower-risk applicant. If you recently changed jobs or have no reported income, underwriters may deny you even with a decent score. They also check whether you have recently applied for multiple credit cards or loans — a pattern of applications in a short time suggests financial stress and raises your risk profile.
Existing debt is weighted heavily. If you carry high balances on other cards relative to your credit limits, you may be denied even with a good score, because underwriters see you as already stretched. Conversely, if you have a high income and low debt, a lower score may not disqualify you.
What Happens When You Apply
When you submit an Amazon card application online, you receive a decision within seconds or minutes in most cases. The decision will be one of three outcomes: approved, denied, or pending review.
If you are approved, you can use the card immediately for online purchases at Amazon and elsewhere. The physical card arrives within 7 to 10 business days. If you are denied, Amazon provides a brief reason — often "credit history" or "insufficient credit history" — but does not explain which specific factor caused the denial.
If your application is pending, Amazon will contact you within a few days, usually by email or phone, to ask for additional information. This often happens when your income is difficult to verify or when your application is borderline. Providing recent pay stubs or tax returns can move a pending decision toward approval.
How Hard Inquiries Affect Your Score and Future Applications
Each time you apply for an Amazon card, the card issuer performs a hard inquiry on your credit report. This inquiry is visible to other lenders and typically lowers your credit score by 5 to 10 points. The impact is temporary — the inquiry stops affecting your score after 12 months and disappears from your report after two years.
Multiple hard inquiries in a short time (within 14 to 45 days, depending on the scoring model) may be counted as a single inquiry for credit scoring purposes, so applying for two cards within two weeks may not damage your score twice. However, applying for cards weeks apart will count as separate inquiries and will lower your score more.
If you are denied for an Amazon card, wait at least three to six months before reapplying. This gives your score time to recover from the hard inquiry and gives you time to improve the factors that led to the denial. If you reapply too quickly, you will accumulate multiple hard inquiries without addressing the underlying issue, making approval less likely.
Rebuilding Credit to Improve Your Chances
If your score is below 670 and you want to apply for an Amazon card, you can take specific steps to improve your approval odds. The most effective action is to pay down existing credit card balances. If you are using more than 30 percent of your available credit across all cards, paying that down to below 30 percent will raise your score within one or two billing cycles.
Correcting errors on your credit report can also help. You can request a free copy of your report from each of the three major bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — at annualcreditreport.com. If you find errors, dispute them directly with the bureau. Removing a false late payment or incorrect account can raise your score by 50 points or more.
If you have no credit history or very limited history, consider becoming an authorized user on someone else's credit card account. This adds their account history to your report and can raise your score if that account has a long, clean payment history. Alternatively, a secured credit card (one backed by a cash deposit) can help you build history if you use it responsibly and pay on time every month.
The Two Amazon Cards and Their Approval Patterns
Amazon offers two Visa cards through Chase: the Prime Rewards card and the standard Rewards card. The Prime card requires an active Amazon Prime membership and offers higher rewards for Prime members. The standard Rewards card has no membership requirement.
In general, the Prime card has slightly stricter approval standards because it is marketed to a specific customer segment. However, the difference is small — both cards are issued by Chase and use similar underwriting criteria. If you are denied for one, you are likely to be denied for the other unless you address the underlying issue first.
Neither card reports to the credit bureaus as a separate account until you have held it for at least one billing cycle. This means applying for an Amazon card will not immediately boost your credit mix or account count, though it will help over time as you use the card and build a positive payment history.
What to Do If You Are Denied
If Amazon denies your application, you have options. First, request a copy of your credit report and review it for errors. Dispute any inaccuracies with the bureau that reported them. This process takes 30 to 45 days but can result in score improvements.
Second, focus on reducing your debt-to-credit ratio. If you have multiple cards with high balances, pay them down aggressively over the next few months. Even a 10 to 15 percent reduction in your overall utilization can raise your score by 20 to 40 points.
Third, wait before reapplying. Submitting another application immediately after a denial will add another hard inquiry without giving you time to improve. Most people see meaningful score improvements within three to six months of focused effort. After that time, reapply and your odds of approval will be better.
If you are consistently denied for credit cards, consider whether you are ready for a rewards card at all. A secured card or a card designed for people rebuilding credit may be a better fit in the short term, and once you have used that card responsibly for six to twelve months, you will have a stronger application for the Amazon card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get approved for an Amazon card with a 600 credit score?
It is possible but unlikely. Most approvals happen at 670 or higher. With a 600 score, approval depends heavily on your income, employment stability, and whether you have recent late payments. If your score is 600 but you have no missed payments in the last two years and a stable income, you have a reasonable chance. If you have recent late payments, approval is unlikely.
Does applying for an Amazon card hurt my credit score?
Yes, the hard inquiry lowers your score by 5 to 10 points temporarily. The impact fades over 12 months and disappears after two years. Multiple applications within two weeks may count as one inquiry, but applications weeks apart will each lower your score separately. Avoid applying for multiple cards in a short time if your score is already borderline.
How long should I wait before reapplying after being denied?
Wait at least three to six months. This gives your score time to recover from the hard inquiry and gives you time to improve the factors that led to denial. If you reapply sooner, you will accumulate hard inquiries without addressing the underlying issue, making approval less likely.
What if I have no credit history?
Amazon cards are difficult to get with no credit history. Consider starting with a secured card, a card designed for people building credit, or becoming an authorized user on someone else's account. After six to twelve months of responsible use, your application for an Amazon card will be stronger.
Will being approved for an Amazon card improve my credit score?
Not immediately. The hard inquiry lowers your score when you apply. Once you are approved and use the card, it will help your score over time by adding a new account and showing responsible credit use. Most people see a small boost within two to three months of opening the card.